


I'll Defend You to the End, an AU Shortfic

by KoryMisun



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Alcoholism, F/F, Family Abuse, Lawyers, Lots of dialogue, M/M, Stuttering, bemorechill au, bmc, domestic violence tw, graphic depiction of domestic violence, jeremy loses it, jeremy's arrested, jeremy's mom is awful, law & order svu... au, michael's a lawyer, not a lot of 3rd person action
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-07
Updated: 2018-02-10
Packaged: 2019-03-14 23:10:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13600425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KoryMisun/pseuds/KoryMisun
Summary: Michael Mell is a promising defense attorney, and is called upon to prove troubled teens innocent in a court of law. When he meets Jeremy, both Michael's world and faith in humanity are shaken considerably.If your parents or anyone in your family is hurting you, call 9-1-1, even if you have to run next door.





	1. Chapter 1

"Hello, Mr. Heere. My name is Michael Mell and I'm your public defense attorney. Now, why don't we take a moment to talk about what happened, y'know, off record?"

The high school senior wearing an orange jumpsuit and steel handcuffs sat in an uncomfortable folding chair, eyes puffy from crying and lack of sleep. Michael was glad his eyes had some light in them still, unlike half the psychos he was called upon to defend. Jeremy didn't speak, or look up from the table he was told to sit at. Nothing.

"You're probably still shaken from being arrested and booked, I understand," Michael said, trying to be relatable and friendly. "Everyone's first time is traumatizing to some degree. Hey, how am I supposed to prove your innocence if we don't talk to each other?"

Out of nowhere, the prisoner's head shot up. "I'm not innocent. No one else is going to be arrested, because it was me that did it." Jeremy's eyes shifted around the room, mostly to the door behind Michael, as if he were looking for detectives or the media. "I didn't even want a lawyer, my dad called your office and asked for you by name."

Michael's eyes widened as he thought about where he had heard the name 'Heere' before. "Your father is David Heere, right? Our dads were neighbors, then friends in college. What... What the hell brings you here, Jeremy?"

"Jesus, you haven't even opened my file." Jeremy looked like he wanted to laugh mockingly at Michael, so the lawyer decided to nip that right in the bud.

"I know your name, age, school, where you live, what car you drive, your blood type and the fact that your hair color isn't from a box (even if my associate at the office suggests otherwise... She's a weird one). When it comes to the important stuff, I'd rather learn it from you, my client than from a stack of papers. So, out with it okay?"

No longer amused in any way, Jeremy wrung his hands together and began to shake in his seat. "On th-the morning in question... my mother, she was hungover and she didn't, didn't like that. So she had the last couple of beers in the fridge, and a few swallows of something, maybe tequila? Tequila or vodka, I don't fucking know."

Michael sat down across from Jeremy, quiet as a mouse and observed his client's inconsistent speech impediment. Only when he brought up his mother did he start stuttering and keeping his head down. Jeremy continued to growl about the woman's drinking habits, his blue eyes clouding over with fury.

"Jeremy... Jeremy, what happened when your father woke up that morning?"

The teen seemed to snap out of it, the swell of his cheeks turning pink from embarrassment. "He tried to make breakfast for us, just something nice for the family. He always tries so hard, but it just never works, sh-she always gets angry for no reason and... starts throwing shit everywhere. Dad deserves better, so much better."

"You've been thinking that for quite some time," Michael suggested, without sounding accusatory. Jeremy sniffed and nodded his head, looking guilty for doing so.

"I don't u-usually get between them... Dad tells me to keep safe and hide in my room when she goes batshit crazy, but that time, I... I just couldn't run away and let him get hurt, again. I wanted to make her see how fucked up she was, try to get her to stop. I didn't feel like her kid anymore so it was easy to stand up to her than when I was five or ten. I started yelling at her, and... I didn't stop for a while. Dad shook me by the shoulders and told me to leave the kitchen, but... my mother didn't want me to. So she, she... fuck!"

Michael, who had been sitting quietly with his hands folded on the table as he listened, narrowed his eyes slightly. "What did your mother do next, Jeremy?"

"She threw the bottle she had and it hi-hit Dad in the face. I saw him fall backwards, and _red,_ red was all over his forehead and the floor...!" Jeremy brought his cuffed hands to his face and whimpered into them as he relived that awful incident all over again.

"Dad was so hurt, and I heard her laughing at us. When I went to call 9-1-1, she tried to rip the phone cord out of the kitchen wall, so I pa-panicked and threw the nearest thing I could find at her."

"What was the object you threw?" asked Michael, feeling the blood drain slowly from his face, leaving him cold and horrified.

Jeremy hugged himself as well as he could with cuffed hands and started sobbing. "It was, ngh, a cutting board. Not a thin plastic one, it was solid wood. I flung it at her like a frisbee and she fell down. I put a washcloth on Dad's cut and called 9-1-1, but I only told them that my Dad needed help."

"Thank god the paramedics came prepared with extra equipment, or your mother might not have survived. Her family is pressing charges against you, as you've probably heard. It's my job to make sure the jury knows the whole story. If you want your mother to answer for what she's done, you'll need to testify against her in court, under oath. Are you willing to do that?"

Jeremy weighed the pros and cons, tilting his head from right to left and drying the tears on his face. "I want Dad to divorce her. If he does that, I'll do whatever you tell me to."

 _...Anything, huh?_ Michael coughed. "That's a pretty big demand. Your dad's in the hospital on pain medication. He couldn't make such a weighty decision right this minute..."

Jeremy cut him off. "I'll sit in jail until you convince him, then." The stubborn glint in his eye made Michael yearn for some candy; he didn't get paid enough for this.

"Ugh, I'll talk to Mr. Heere as soon as his doctors allow me, but if he doesn't want to act against Mrs. Heere there's nothing more I can do."

Michael's answer made Jeremy's smile return. "You're thinking you've got your work cut out for you, huh?"

"... Shut up, Jeremy."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A continuation has been requested, so here it is. Someone no one likes has arrived to 'get justice' for Linda Felicity Heere's physical and mental damage. Ugh, _shuttup._

"Oh, good morning. It's not nice to see you, Jason." Michael side-stepped an upstart attorney that caused his father a lot of headaches when he was still working at this firm, to get to the espresso machine.

"Hello there, Mell. I see you still don't have your own office yet. Having trouble doing your job? Oh, it'll be alright, your daddy will make sure you make bar whether or not you win a case." Jason Squip made sure to bump into Michael's shoulder enough so that the younger man would pour scalding coffee on himself. Luckily it missed skin and only got part of his suit's arm.

"Could you give me a sphere of personal space, Mr. Dick? We're not teens in school anymore, and I have a meeting in six minutes."

"Why do you have to be so catty? It's been months since I've seen you. Whoever it is, you can blow them off, I'm sure." Mr. Squip deliberately blocked Michael into the counter, eyes pinned to the full cup in his hand. "You must feel like all your clients right now. Cornered, feeling those Fight or Flight instincts kicking in... You gonna snap too?"

Michael saw Chloe Valentine enter the break room out of his peripheral and set his coffee down, safely away from them. He didn't want to ask for help, but Squip was making him super uncomfortable (as was his talent). "Hey, Chlo. Ms. Lohst is expecting us down the hall in five."

Flipping her hair up and securing it with a black velvet scrunchy, Chloe pulled Squip backwards by the arm, enough so that Michael had room to carry his coffee to safety. "Better not keep her waiting then. Excuse us, Jason."

"I'll catch up with you later, Mell. Don't make any plans for lunch, 'kay?"

"Gross!" Michael and Chloe chorused as they left.

~

Brooke Lohst looked like she hadn't gotten much rest in the past few days, but wore a beaming smile when Chloe and Michael walked into the room. "Chloe!"

"I'm happy to see you too," the taller lady said, kissing the trauma counselor on the cheek. Michael blushed slightly, feeling like a third wheel and took a seat across from the firm's most popular couple.

"So Michael, I've finally gotten all of the details on Linda, David and Jeremy. It took a lot of tears and a couple martinis, but here's what I have for you." Once everyone was situated, Brooke gave a manilla folder to Michael to review.

"He has no prior record, but admits to doing pot now and then, just so he can relax for a few seconds at home. Linda drinks more alcohol than water so I don't know how she's been staying alive, much less strong enough to beat up on her man and teenage son. The only problem is that Jeremy isn't showing any remorse."

"I was afraid he wouldn't," pouted Michael with folded arms. "He doesn't care what happens to him, so long as David is safe and Linda's out of the picture."

Brooke tossed her golden hair over her shoulder, smiling when Chloe began to weave it into a braided masterpiece. "Maybe you'll have more luck with him. He doesn't have an evil bone inside him, but he's definitely angry. We need to bring him down out of the red, and if there's anything you're good at, it's that."

"Shucks Brooke, was that a compliment?" Michael chuckled, running a hand through his slicked dark hair and turning pink again.

"Don't take it for granted, I don't give 'em very often," smiled Brooke, reaching across the desk to playfully knock his shoulder. "If we're lucky, he'll take a plea deal and only have a few years' probation. Worst case scenario, he could be charged with attempted murder."

Michael paled. "I hope to god it doesn't come to that. Is Jeremy perscribed anything I should be aware of?"

"A brief prescription of Prozac is all I could dig up, back when he was in middle school. He hasn't been taking anything in the past few years, according to his physical records."

"Poop. I'm going to have to use every sympathy card in my deck. Well, you lovely ladies enjoy your... hair-styling date, I'm off to ask Mr. Heere to divorce his wife."

"Hoo, good luck," Chloe said, not sounding too optimistic that Michael would succeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was on the fly, no forethought whatsoever. I tried my best.

**Author's Note:**

> The tags were nuts and repetitive, forgive me. Also I've never written about situations like this, I just watch a lot of L&O followed by even more ID, Dateline, etc. Michael's good at defending Jeremy in the musical, so I thought I should ramp it up a little. This wasn't beta'd, I just started typing on my keyboard around 4 in the morning and stopped when I was tired.


End file.
